Posted on 07/15/2006 9:39:03 PM PDT by nutmeg
Stage 14: Montélimar to Gap - 180.5km
Course: With a rest day coming up in Gap, followed by the Alps, this gives the lesser known riders one of their last chances of glory. The intricate 180.5km stage through hilly terrain north of Mont Ventoux offers two Cat. 3 climbs in the first half and two Cat. 2s in the second half. The narrow back roads and constant ups-and-downs will make it a hard stage for everyone and encourage breakaways. The last of the climbs, the Sentinelle, is less than 10km from the finish and offers a great chance for a solo rider to stay clear of a small breakaway group.
History: Gap has seen the finish of 18 stages of the Tour, the latest being in 2003 when Vinokourov scored a solo win after breaking clear on the final climb and descent. Gap is also where Joseba Beloki suffered his horrendous crash and Armstrong had his "cyclo-cross" adventure. On a 1991 stage, Greg LeMond tried to take a morale-boosting win in a Tour he was losing to Miguel Induráin, but was outsmarted in the two-man sprint by Italian Marco Lietti.
Favorites: This is another unpredictable stage that favors long-distance breakaways that don't contain GC contenders. However, those who have lost a chance at the podium in the Pyrénées could be involved - maybe that will be someone like Christophe Moreau (AG2R). Otherwise, look for an enterprising rider like David Moncoutié (Cofidis) or Axel Merckx (Phonak) to succeed with a late solo move.
Graphics by CyclingNews.com
OLN's US coverage starts Saturday at 8:30am ET/ 5:30am PT
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2006 list.
Stage 14, Montelimar / Gap, is a Coefficient 2 Stage (stages presenting medium difficulty) 
A look ahead: GC battle likely in stormy weather on Sunday
By John Wilcockson
VeloNews editorial director
This report filed July 15, 2006
Saturday's long, hot and laborious stage 13 across the deep south of France was debilitating for everyone at the Tour de France. And it was no surprise that a small group of riders deep in the general classification successfully conducted a breakaway of more than 200km - even though few expected Floyd Landis and his Phonak team to let the break gain half an hour and hand their former teammate, Oscar Pereiro, the yellow jersey.
While Pereiro, stage winner Jens Voigt and their companions averaged a solid 42.5 kph on the rolling course between the Mediterranean and Rhône Valley, the peloton, led by Phonak, rode a very conservative 38.5-kph tempo on the 230km stage. They'll need to work much harder on Sunday, even though Pereiro's Caisse d'Épargne-Illes Balears team now has the first responsibility for pulling the pack.
The Montélimar to Gap stage features two Cat.3 and two Cat. 2 climbs in the foothills between Provence and the high Alps. Typically, Tour stages in this rugged terrain see plenty of action - such as in 1991 when race leader Miguel Induráin missed a mid-stage break and was rescued by his senior teammate Pedro Delgado after a long chase.
The hardest of Sunday's climbs is the 9km, 5-percent Col de Perty that tops out at 4275 feet elevation halfway though the 180.5km stage. Any of the 12 riders sitting within five minutes of Landis on GC might be encouraged to attack here, especially as there is a rest day coming up in Gap on Monday. Should, say, the T-Mobile, CSC and/or Rabobank teams surge on the Col de Perty, they could leave Landis with just two teammates, Axel Merckx and Miguel Martin Perdiguero, the only ones to have shown strength on this Tour's climbing stages.
What could add to the likely drama of a GC battle is the high risk of thunderstorms - with hailstones and gusting winds - throughout the final two hours of Sunday's stage. If that bad weather materializes then Phonak will have to do more than just ride tempo with Caisse d'Épargne. And even if Landis's teammates manage to control the breaks, they could falter on the day's other Cat. 2 climb, the 5km, 5-percent Col de la Sentinelle
From the Sentinelle's summit, the narrow, twisty back road descends through 600 vertical feet in 5km, then goes up a short hill before descending another 300 feet in 1.5km. This brings the course within 2km of the finish - which races through the streets of Gap via five roundabouts to a short, 300-meter-long finishing straight.
Such a tight, technical finale favors a solo breakaway, especially someone who attacks and gets clear on the Sentinelle uphill. This is a different finish to the one in 1996 at Gap, when Erik Zabel won a small group sprint at the end of 1.5km straightaway after the whole peloton arrived at the foot of the Sentinelle on a much easier stage than Sunday's.
Who can be expected to win this time? Assuming that Landis and his team can halt the more dangerous attacks then the tricky finish into Gap suits strong all-around riders like Patrik Sinkewitz (T-Mobile), Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) or George Hincapie (Discovery Channel).
Stage 13 Report By Bob Roll Mellow Johnny Blues: Part 3 The trilogy of idiotic behavior on Tour de France continued, as Floyd Landis and the Phonak team let the jersey go. They gave it to Oscar Pereiro. Pereiro is a descent climber, who started the day 42nd overall and almost a half-hour down. But in his wildest dreams, Pereiro never thought he’d get the jersey in this year’s Tour. He’s not racing that well. He couldn’t even win the stage, but he gets the yellow jersey. Because nobody wants it. Nobody wants to keep it. Nobody wants the responsibility. None of these riders grew up hungering for it, apart from Floyd Landis. But being a part of a team that has never been there before might prove to be a very difficult situation for Floyd to overcome. Floyd has the legs, but I’m not sure if the team has what it takes to defend the yellow jersey -- and understand the significance of letting any breakaway get a half and hour and what that does to the morale of the other riders in the race like Menchov, Sastre, and Evans. If in fact they see this as a sign of weakness -- like lions looking at a crippled gazelle on the plains of the Serengeti -- they are going to attack without mercy and with a fury that Floyd Landis, himself, will have to contain. Lance Armstrong -- in seven years of dominating the Tour -- never let a breakaway like that getaway with one set of mountains to go. That’s just the thing that Phonak doesn’t need to face. They don’t need another bit of stress like that. Sacrifices have to be made to win the Tour. If it means making your men ride on the front until they pass out, well, that is one of the things you have to do. If you’re unwilling to do that, you don’t deserve the yellow jersey. Tomorrow, Phonak is going to have to do tempo anyway. Oscar Pereiro is not a big threat on GC, but it sends a very bad message to the rest of the riders in the peloton. If you don’t need to face this situation, why would you go ahead and incur the type of wrath that is going to come from Menchov, Evans, Sastre, etc., as the race goes into the Alps? The decisive stages are still to come. Oscar Pereiro inherited an incredible gift from the Phonak squad. Jens Voigt deservedly won the stage. But like Lance said a couple of years ago, no gifts.
He rips Phonak a new one...
Sweet. Hail.
Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso. Fedrigo is best placed, just over 26 minutes behind the lead.
Ouch...Julich really ripped Phonak too.
Km : 14 - Côte du Bois-de-Salles Points Cat 3
1 052 BOOGERD Michael RAB NED 4
2 025 MAZZOLENI Eddy TMO ITA 3
3 106 RUJANO José QSI VEN 2
4 038 GOUBERT Stephane A2R FRA 1
Km : 72.5 - Col de Peyruergue Points Cat 3
1 085 COMMESSO Salvatore LAM ITA 4
2 062 AERTS Mario DVL BEL 3
3 024 KESSLER Matthias TMO GER 2
4 174 FEDRIGO Pierrick BTL FRA 1
Km : 97 - Col de Perty Points Cat 2
1 142 CANADA David SDV ESP 10
2 062 AERTS Mario DVL BEL 9
3 174 FEDRIGO Pierrick BTL FRA 8
4 085 COMMESSO Salvatore LAM ITA 7
5 024 KESSLER Matthias TMO GER 6
6 138 VERBRUGGHE Rik COF BEL 5
and the 1st of 2 sprints:
Km : 50 - La Bonté (CONDORCET) Points
1 062 AERTS Mario DVL BEL 6
2 174 FEDRIGO Pierrick BTL FRA 4
3 004 MARTINEZ Egoi DSC ESP 2
The final climb of the 14th stage is the Col de Sentinelle is rated category-two. A ruling introduced three years ago means that any climbing ranked category-two or higher is worth double points if it’s the last ascent. This means that 20 points are on offer for the first man across the summit that’s 9.5km from the finish. The Col de Sentinelle has been a feature of the Tour on nine previous occasions. The last time this 981m high climb was part of the itinerary was in 1996 when Rolf Sorensen led the peloton over the line.
Geez, that finish is going to be dicey for the leaders, and especially the peloton! Can't imagine going down hills like that in a group of ~150 riders...
From the Sentinelle's summit, the narrow, twisty back road descends through 600 vertical feet in 5km, then goes up a short hill before descending another 300 feet in 1.5km. This brings the course within 2km of the finish - which races through the streets of Gap via five roundabouts to a short, 300-meter-long finishing straight.
There are now four riders from the Quickstep team at the front of the peloton. They appear interested in bringing back the escape with the help of the Caisse d’Epargne team...
15:47 - Six Lead By 5’35"...
The Caisse d’Epargne team is keeping today’s escape honest. The maximum gain reported was 5’40". Right now the peloton is 5’35" behind Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.